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Join the Navy and See the World!

"Doctor Director will see you now," the receptionist told the pair.

"Kim, Ron, wonderful to see you," the one-eyed woman greeted them with a smile, and gestured to two chairs.

"Thank you... Uh, the message said you needed to speak with us on something urgent, but it didn't say what you wanted to talk about."

"Are you familiar with a television program called The Amazing Race?"

Ron's jaw dropped, "You had us come in to ask if we watched a television program?"

"Ron," Kim warned in a whisper, "it's got to be more important than that."

"It is," Betty Director assured them, "but it speeds things up if I don't have to explain the basic idea of the program to you."

"Seen every episode," Ron assured her.

"I can't claim that," admitted Kim. "But I've seen some episodes. They start with a bunch of two-person teams and they go around the world and have to complete various sorts of challenges. The last pair to come in on a particular leg of the journey may be eliminated... Has there been an accident? Ron and I 'retired' in college, but do you want us to rescue someone who is stuck in a volcano somewhere–"

"–or captured by headhunters?" Ron interrupted.

"No... It's a little complicated. The question is whether the two of you would be able to compete in a special Amazing Race competition. Your semesters are almost over and... Kim, the State Department spoke with your university. It won't interfere with graduating."

Kim and Ron looked at each other. Ron raised an eyebrow. Kim shrugged. The blond youth assured the head of Global Justice, "Kim and I would be happy to be a team on the Amazing Race. If we knew why. Heck, we don't even know why, but–"

"Actually, you would not be a team."

"But you just asked if we... Do you just want Kim? That's okay, I know she–"

"We want you both. But each of you will have a partner you won't meet until the competition begins."

The two looked puzzled. Betty sighed, "I warned you, it gets complicated. How much have you followed the break-up of the Soviet Union?"

"Not much," admitted Ron, "I mean, I was just a little kid when it happened."

Kim answered, "A number of new countries came into existence. Some of them have done well, some of them not so well. There has even been warfare between them and fights over where borders should be. I think some are in good political shape and some are kind of a mess."

"Very good. There are even some areas that declared themselves independent but that status isn't recognized, the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, for example. There is a lot of wild territory at the southern end of the Caucus Mountains. You might have heard of the Worker's Paradise of Qakhatala–"

"The news didn't give a lot of time to it," Kim responded. "Some kind of a threat? With basketball winding down and baseball starting it didn't get a lot of coverage... I think the news anchor treated it like some kind of joke. I'd never heard of it before."

"Mountainous region bordering on Chechnya, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. it–"

"Isn't Georgia a state? Somewhere south?" asked Ron.

"Different Georgia, Ron," Kim told him.

"Their Supreme Leader wants to be recognized and claim territory to the Caspian Sea so it won't be entirely land-locked. Under more normal circumstances it could be a joke, but–"

Ron wanted to know, "Does this get back to the Amazing Race at some point?"

"Be patient, she told us it was complicated."

Doctor Director told Kim, "Thank you. Five things keep it from being a joke. In their haste to get out of some of the new republics the Russians sometimes left military bases behind... Maybe that's not right. Officially this remained a part of Russian territory. The region we're talking about is isolated, with a low population density. The Russians probably considered it a good place to use as a site for launching nuclear missiles. If an accident happens you don't want an explosion in the middle of Moscow. That's one reason. Second, when the Supreme Leader declared it 'liberated' he seized the site the Russians were developing. The other three reasons it isn't a joke are the three long-range missiles General Zelimkhanov, that's the name of their Supreme Leader, claims he captured and are ready for use if he is not given territory and recognition. The Russians believe it is a credible threat."

Ron swallowed, "Nukes?"

"And Chechnya, Georgia, and Azerbaijan would appreciate a peaceful resolution. They don't want Russia waging a pre-emptive strike – nor would the Russians want a nuclear explosion, even there. Now, the Amazing Race angle. Zelimkhanov has a weakness, an apparent addiction to US television. The Russians have asked the UN, and the United States, to help stall for time while the Russian special forces work on a plan that can guarantee no major explosions."

"And he wants us in a special edition of Amazing Race?"

"Well, it was actually his second choice. But the cast of Baywatch was not interested in coming back together. And while he didn't ask for the two of you specifically he did request that teams of far above average individuals be in the competition."

Kim looked thoughtful. "Is this really practical? For one thing, I'm sure you can't just throw together an Amazing Race. It's got to take a lot of organization and planning."

"Which is absolutely true. Fortunately CBS had the next season planned out. It would have started filming in about a week. The scheduled contestants have been promised they will compete in the following season."

"But it's not like the race is broadcast live! I have no idea how long it takes to edit hundreds and hundreds of hours of video to produce the program. If you're just stalling for time couldn't you tell this dictator that his wish is being granted? Does it really have to be run?"

"If we thought he'd believe it we could tell him his dictates were being followed. The concern is that he might not believe the claim. He might seek evidence. He demanded information on cities to be visited. CBS was reluctant to reveal it, fearing might be used by a team to cheat. He doesn't know exactly what is going to happen, but he knows some cities and the days contestants should be there. I would put money on his having agents there to verify things. He may even demand official camera crews be allowed, but so far there has been no such demand."

"Is there still a million dollars for winning?" asked Ron.

"Yes. CBS has a lot of money in the race. They want the race to finish, even if the Russians neutralize the threat... The Russians have even ponied up another million. Both members of the winning team will receive a million. Now, if the Russians can end Zelimkhanov's threat before the race is scheduled you won't need to compete, the original teams chosen will be asked to participate."

"A million each! You sure I can't be with Kim? Kim never loses."

"Sorry, the teams are all required to be individuals who have not worked together before. We haven't gotten all contestants finalized yet. I know you've worked with Hego and Mego of Team Go–"

"Can I be teamed with Hego?" interrupted Ron.

"We've worked with him, remember?" Kim reminded him.

"That is correct. We also want to make this international rather than just American. Another confirmed individual is Die Fledermaus, you may have heard of him."

"Um, he's retired right? I think my dad said when he was a boy he heard about Die Fledermaus."

"Probably. He might be the oldest contestant. But experience can sometimes count for more than raw strength."

"Sounds like the race will have a bunch of heroes."

"It will. Can I put you both down as definites?"

Kim and Ron looked at one another.

"A million dollars for winning!" decided the issue for Ron.

"You know Ron and I aren't-"

"Doesn't matter."

Kim smiled at the head of Global Justice, "We're in."

"Great. Max has a packet of guidelines on the rules and what you're allowed to–"

"Max?"

"The receptionist. He let you in."

"I want to know if I can take Rufus along," Ron told her.

Kim and Ron chatted as they left. As the door closed behind them Doctor Director leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She hated lying to them. "Technically I didn't lie. I didn't make a single false statement." Of course there were a few pieces of information she had not passed on. She could not be certain with whom Kim and Ron would be paired. "Should I have told them who their partners might be?" She decided that keeping silent had been appropriate. Since things were still so uncertain, and could fall apart in a dozen different ways, there was no point talking about what might be.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples with her fingertips. "This could go bad in so many ways." Of course, nukes, were a bigger potential problem than anything that could happen on the race. She had hated asking Kim and Ron. She still thought of them as teens, even though they were now in their twenties and in college. Even in their twenties she thought they would still be the youngest heroes in the race... Of course she still had a couple slots to fill on the hero list she had been asked to compile.